This invention relates to a range finder and archery sight guide for mounting to the bow of an archer to improve his aim and the prospects for bagging a "kill", such as a deer.
There have been numerous attempts, as exemplified by the following prior art, to provide assistance to hunting game with a bow and arrow, particularly as to a combination bow sight and range finder. However, before reviewing such prior art, it may be helpful to examine the construction and nomenclature relating to hunting bows. Briefly, hunting bows, such as manufactured by Hoyt USA, Salt Lake City, Utah, by way of example, are manufactured of light weight metals and non-metals, and generally comprise an elongated central riser member having a pair of arcuate shaped limbs extending along a common plane therefrom. The respective free ends of the limbs each include a cam wheel through which the bow string is threaded, where the purpose thereof is to give improved let-off, as high as 75%, and draw length adjustability. Intermediate the riser member is an arrow rest with a hand grip positioned therebelow. As a further feature of the riser member, above the arrow rest, a pair of apertures are provided to mount a range finder and/or sight guide for the archer. The present invention was developed to provide an accurate range finder and sight for mounting to the riser member of a conventional bow.
Turning now to the prior art, U.S. Pat. No. 2,767,472, to Kocur, represents an early effort in providing range/sight assistance. The device thereof includes a pair of brackets mounted to the bow, just above the grip member, one forwardly, which is identified as a sight component, the other rearwardly of the bow, where the latter is identified as a range finder, and a range scale associated with the range finder. The range finder includes a manually and slidably adjustable spanning bar which may be frictionally secured along a vertical rod. The range finder, extending laterally from the bracket, includes a plurality of bead sights, preferably in the form of threaded screws, engaging a vertically oriented bar of the bracket. The respective beads and range-related bands of the range scale are colored alike in accordance with the translational code from top to bottom successively in sharply contrasting colors. A locknut is provided on the end of each bead sight opposite to the head, or bead, for locking abutment against the corresponding end of the slide in which the bead sight is fitted to secure the sight in horizontally adjusted position.
A later attempt for an archery sight and range finder is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,666,368, to Sprandel. The system, as disclosed therein, consists of an attachment having a vertical slide on which two sliders are vertically movable. The sliders have parallel, horizontal sight bars, and when moved in spaced relation, enable the archer to sight the game between them. One sight bar also has a bull's-eye sight, to zero-in on the body of the game. A pivoted finger piece on the slide can be manually adjusted, and is connected to the sliders in such a manner as to not only vertically adjust the latter but also to automatically vary the spacing between them, this being accomplished by links between the finger piece and sliders. Game which is far away and appears small, requires close spacing of the sight bars which results in their being automatically positioned vertically to a lower level, together with the bull's-eye sight, so as to provide for a higher trajectory of the arrow, and vice versa.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,995,166, to Knemeyer, illustrates a more recent version of a range finder and sight for an archery bow. The device, thereof, includes a support bracket mountable on the handle portion of an archery bow, an upright frame carried by the support, and a carriage or slide movable vertically along the upright frame. The carriage or slide carries a horizontally disposed sight pin having an end portion in the form of a sight bead to be aligned with the target, and a pair of range pins. The slide has mechanism for moving the range finder pins equally toward the sight pin or away from it as the slide is moved. The amount of increase or decrease in the spacing between the range finder pins for a given length of travel of the slide can be adjusted and can be different for different ranges of vertical travel of the slide.